US plans to seek 5 years of visitors' social media history
US authorities plan to require many short-term visitors from 42 visa-waiver countries to submit up to five years of social media history, as well as extensive personal and biometric data, under a proposed expansion of screening rules. According to a notice published on Wednesday (December 11) in the Federal Register, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has proposed that travellers using the...
Strong 7.5 quake triggers tsunami in Japan
A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday, injuring 23 people and triggering a tsunami in Pacific coast communities, officials said. Authorities warned of possible aftershocks and an increased risk of a megaquake. The Japanese government was still assessing damages from the tsunami and late-evening quake, which struck at about 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean,...
China, Russia stage third joint missile-defense drill
China and Russia held their third round of joint anti-missile drills on Russian territory in early December, China’s defence ministry said late on Saturday (December 6). The exercises were not targeted at any third party or in response to any current international situations, according to a post on the ministry’s website. The two countries held talks on missile defence and strategic...
At least 23 killed in India's Goa nightclub fire
At least 23 people were killed and many others injured after a devastating fire broke out around midnight Saturday at a nightclub in India's western state of Goa, police said early Sunday. The fire tore through a popular nightclub called Birch by Romeo Lane at Baga in Arpora village of North Goa district, about 16 km northwest of Panaji, the capital city of Goa. "Today is a very painful day...
7.0 quake shakes remote area straddling Alaska, Canada
A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Saturday shook a mountainous, sparsely populated area straddling the border of the US state of Alaska and Canada's Yukon territory. The temblor at 2041 GMT was quickly followed by 5.6 and 5.3-magnitude aftershocks. The epicenter was about 155 miles (248 kilometers) west of Whitehorse, the capital of Canada's Yukon, and 230 miles northwest of Alaska's...
Doha Forum opens with Gaza, Ukraine high on agenda
The 23rd Doha Forum opens Saturday (December 6) under the banner “Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress,” drawing heads of state, senior diplomats and business leaders to debates dominated by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Organisers expect approximately 6,000 participants from more than 150 countries to attend the two-day gathering. The programme features addresses by the...
Canada delists Syria and HTS, citing shift since Assad fall
Canada has removed Syria from its list of foreign state supporters of terrorism and revoked the terror designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), citing parallel steps by the United States and United Kingdom and the Syrian transitional government’s efforts to stabilise the country one year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The Foreign Ministry said the decisions “were not taken...
Putin issues Donbas ultimatum as US peace push stalls
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it by force, dismissing compromise over how to end the war. “Either we liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories,” he said in an interview ahead of a state visit to India. President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out...
Ten killed by Israeli forces in southern Syria
At least 10 people were killed by Israeli forces in a southern Syrian village overnight, Syrian state television reported Friday. “The number of martyrs from the Israeli aggression... has risen to 10, including women and children, while others remain trapped under the rubble,” it said, adding dozens of families fled the village of Beit Jin to safety in nearby areas. Israeli troops...
Dozens dead as floods ravage Southeast Asia
The toll from days of flooding in Southeast Asia rose on Friday, with at least 90 dead in Indonesia, and a hospital in southern Thailand announcing its morgue was full. Heavy rains across Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand have inundated cities, trapped thousands and caused deadly landslides. Authorities were scrambling to reach people stranded in floodwater-filled homes or cut off...
Hong Kong fire death toll climbs to 94
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex on Friday, killing at least 94 people and leaving dozens still missing. Firefighters had mostly contained the blaze that destroyed the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern district of Tai Po. The eight-tower...
Israel returns 15 bodies to Gaza amid ceasefire
Israel handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians on Wednesday, a day after Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli hostage. This is the latest exchange as part of a US-brokered ceasefire reached last month, whose first phase is winding down even as violence continues in Palestinian territories. Hamas said it’s committed to handing them over even though the recovery is made difficult by...
Hong Kong fire leaves 44 dead, 279 missing
The death toll from the fire that broke out at an eight-building residential complex in Hong Kong's Tai Po district has risen to 44, while 279 people remain unaccounted for. The number of casualties from the fire continues to rise, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The fire broke out around noon on Wednesday in the complex, which consists of more than 1,900...
Israel says Gaza hostage coffin received from Red Cross
Israel said the Red Cross had on Tuesday handed over the coffin of a hostage held in Gaza, adding that the remains would soon be taken for forensic identification. Prior to this latest handover, the remains of three deceased hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip -- two Israelis and one Thai national. Hamas and its allies have been handing over the remains of hostages as part of...
India imposes night curfew along Bangladesh border
Night curfew has been imposed along the India-Bangladesh border in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya to prevent potential cross-border movement of illegal migrants and criminals, according to an official notification issued on Tuesday. DM Rosetta Mary Kurbah highlighted the current situation in Bangladesh, stating there is a significant risk of cross-border movement involving...
Saudi Arabia set to launch alcohol outlets
Saudi Arabia plans to open two new alcohol stores, including one serving non-Muslim, foreign staff at state oil giant Aramco, as the kingdom further eases restrictions, according to people briefed on the plans. The launch of outlets in the eastern province of Dhahran and one for diplomats in the port city of Jeddah would be a further milestone in efforts, led by de facto ruler Crown Prince...
At least 10 killed as Pakistan strikes Afghanistan
Pakistan strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan killed at least 10 people, the Taliban government spokesman said Tuesday, a day after a suicide attack on a security compound in Pakistan's Peshawar city. "The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident... As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred" in Khost province, spokesman...
UN rights chief warns over generative AI
The UN on Monday warned that generative AI could become “a modern-day Frankenstein’s monster,” with human rights the first casualty, as powerful tech giants unleash the technology on the world. UN rights chief Volker Turk said generative AI had “tremendous promise” but told the world body’s business and human rights forum that its “exploitation for purely political or economic...
Israel kills Hezbollah military leader in Beirut strike
Israel killed militant group Hezbollah's top military official in an airstrike on a southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday, the Israeli military said, despite a U.S.-brokered truce a year ago. The strike, the first on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital in months, targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah's acting chief of staff, Ali Tabtabai, the military said in a statement. Hezbollah confirmed the...
